Agricultural implements, such as planters and seed dispensers, typically include a system of conduits through which a dispensed product, such as seed, is distributed. In addition, a fluid, such as pressurized air, also moves through the system of conduits to move the dispensed product to different locations on the agricultural implement. For example, some current agricultural implements include conduits through which the product is transferred from a primary container to one or more metering devices, such as singulators. However, most current designs use a large volume of fluid at low pressure to move a low volume of the dispensed product; as a result, current designs are relatively inefficient.
Moving the dispensed product with a low pressure fluid has other drawbacks in addition to low system efficiency. For example, in order to provide an adequate volume of the product to the metering devices, a relatively high air flow rate is used in which a relatively low volume of the product is transported in a high volume of the fluid, which is referred to as dilute phase flow. A high air flow rate results in high product velocity, which can in turn damage the dispensed product and the conduits of the agricultural implement. As another example, the dispensed product may become lodged in the conduits if the air velocity falls below the critical level. Most current systems do not have sufficient power to dislodge the product within the conduits. As a result, the lodged product may require manual removal by an operator which may in turn result in down-time of the agricultural implement and in some cases loss of product.
Further still, the system of conduits included with most current designs provides additional drawbacks. For example, some systems include multiple conduits that each connect the primary container to a single metering device. In some cases, the agricultural implement may include a dozen or more metering devices, each having a conduit connected to the primary container. A relatively large number of conduits increases cost and complexity, and, to some individuals, reduces the aesthetic appeal of current designs.
Considering the limitations of current product delivery systems for agricultural implements, it would be desirable to have a product delivery system that is more efficient than previous designs and is less likely to permit unwanted lodging of a dispensed product within the system conduits.